High School Football: Covina in total control, shuts out Baldwin Park

COVINA - Rock-solid defense and another long punt return for a touchdown by Mike Peters sparked the Covina High School football team to a 35-0 win over Baldwin Park on Thursday night at Covina District Field.

The Colts (5-2,2-1) scored first on a 6-yard touchdown run by Shazeb Mallick capping a seven-play, 74-yard drive with 3:59 left in the first quarter.

Mallick carried the ball 14 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

"(Mallick) had a good week last week," Colts first-year coach Joe Brown said. "We're just feeding him the ball right now. He's got great speed, he's a track guy, and he's learning how to play some football now."

The Colts fumbled the opening kickoff at midfield. The Braves (0-7,0-3) kept the ball for almost sixminutes but couldn't reach the end zone.

A quarterback sack by Elia Semu put the Braves into a deep hole in Colts territory and the Braves couldn't convert on fourth down. That allowed the Colts to take over on downs at their own 26-yard-line which led to Mallick's first score.

The Braves, aided by a pair of personal foul penalties, got to the Colts 4-yard line late in the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Hector Moran's fourth-down dive for the endzone came up just short as he was hammered while he stretching the ball toward the goal line.

The ball came loose and the Colts' Evan Stretton came up with the ball in the end zone.

"We didn't score on that play to tie it up," Braves first-year coach Chris Williams said. "Hector did a great job in his first start. It's tough with no experience back there but he played hard and did everything we asked him to do. Then that punt return was big. It was 14-0 just before the half and that bent us back a little bit."

Injuries have crippled the Braves' offense. Moran, who began the season as a wide receiver, is the third player to start at quarterback this year.

The Colts broke the game open with 58 seconds to go in the first half.

Peters took a punt 76 yards for a score to put the Colts up 21-0 at the break. He caught the ball, hesitated, then accelerated toward the goal line.

Peters, an all-Valle Vista League point guard on the Colts' league championship team, is a senior playing football for the first time. He had two interceptions to go with his punt return. It is the second consecutive week he has returned a punt more than 70yards for a score.

"When I hesitated, I was looking for the hole," Peters said. "I saw it and I was gone. My playing point guard helps me see the entire field. My team blocks for me and I just see the hole and take it."

Returning only one starter, who hasn't played since being injured in the first game of the season, from back to back Valle Vista League championships, the Colts appeared to be in a rebuilding mode but have continued to improve each week.

"We need to clean some things up," Brown said. "We missed some tackles and they were taking advantage of it. But when it came down to crunch time in the red zone our guys stiffened up and we got that big turnover at the goal line."

Stretton caught a 55-yard scoring pass from Emilio Zertuche and Pernell Smalley scored on a 46-yard run for the Colts' other scores.